A victim of sexual assault shares a first-person account of the horrific ordeal she faced at a hostel in Varkala in the wee hours of January 1, 2024:
It was the early hours of January 1, and the world had lulled itself to sleep after a tiring night of partying. I, too, like most visitors to Varkala Cliff, decided to get some much-needed rest.
I had travelled from Bengaluru on December 31 to celebrate the New Year and decided to book a room at an accommodation with the best online reviews. I found a place at one of the prime locations – Varkala-Helipad, which came highly recommended and promised safety and security.
But, little did I anticipate the harrowing experience that was to follow — one that has now left me emotionally scarred. It was around 5.30 am, when a man entered the premises, sneaked into the dorm and groped and sexually assaulted me and two other female guests in our sleep. He even climbed into our beds.
Despite repeated attempts to chase him away, the man managed to hide himself and return to abuse us again, before he was finally caught. We were utterly shaken and horrified. The perpetrator was subdued by one of the men next door and roughed up. Although he was taken to Varkala police station with the help of staff at the facility, he was released after one of the victims backed down from pressing charges.
What irked me more was the cold response of caretakers at the accommodation. The hostel neither had a security guard at the time nor an on-premises CCTV to monitor guests.
I am overcome by exhaustion, says victim
Isn’t it a bare minimum requirement for a business hosting guests to ensure proper security? In great disappointment and anger, I called up friends and acquaintances in the media seeking help.
When I spoke about the incident to a some of my contacts, I was taken aback to hear of the similar experiences of visitors and tourists to the area over the years.
While multiple incidents of sexual assault were reported in public places in and around Varkala during the holiday season, this was a crime committed in the personal quarters of private property.
This, especially, puts Varkala at risk of being tagged as an unsafe tourist destination. Now, four days on, I am overcome by exhaustion and an intense urge not to engage with whatever happened to me that day.
As a person who has always loved Kerala and its beautiful landscapes, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to travel to the state without being reminded of the horrific experience I had to endure. Not to mention, I have been traumatised about staying at hostels, let alone travelling to places all by myself.
NO PLAINT FILED: POLICE
No complaint has been filed by the hostel management or victims. We had to let go of the offender as one of the victims did not want to pursue any legal action. The culprit is a native of Kollam who had come to Varkala to celebrate the New Year.
SHOCKED: HOSTEL MGMT
We are shocked such an incident took place on our premises. The intruder may have jumped the wall at the back of the building and entered the hostel. We caught him and took him to Varkala police station immediately.